Nehemia 4:1

Opposition to the Work Continues

4:1 (3:33) ¹  Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall he became angry and was quite upset. He derided the Jews,

Nehemia 4:3

4:3 Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was close by, said, “If even a fox were to climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!”

Nehemia 4:5

4:5 Do not cover their iniquity, and do not wipe out their sin from before them. For they have bitterly offended ²  the builders! ³ 

Nehemia 4:17

4:17 who were rebuilding the wall. ⁴  Those who were carrying loads did so ⁵  by keeping one hand on the work and the other on their weapon.

Nehemia 7:70-72

7:70 Some of the family leaders ⁶  contributed to the work. The governor contributed to the treasury 1,000 gold drachmas, ⁷  50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments. 7:71 Some of the family leaders gave to the project treasury 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas. 7:72 What the rest of the people gave amounted to 20,000 gold drachmas, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments.

Nehemia 9:38

The People Pledge to be Faithful

9:38 (10:1) ⁸  “Because of all of this we are entering into a binding covenant ⁹  in written form; ¹⁰  our leaders, our Levites, and our priests have affixed their names ¹¹  on the sealed document.”

Nehemia 10:30

10:30 “We will not give our daughters in marriage to the neighboring peoples, and we will not take their daughters in marriage for our sons.

[4:1]  ¹ sn Beginning with 4:1, the verse numbers through 4:23 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 4:1 ET = 3:33 HT, 4:2 ET = 3:34 HT, 4:3 ET = 3:35 HT, 4:4 ET = 3:36 HT, 4:5 ET = 3:37 HT, 4:6 ET = 3:38 HT, 4:7 ET = 4:1 HT, etc., through 4:23 ET = 4:17 HT. Thus in the Hebrew Bible chap. 3 of the Book of Nehemiah has 38 verses, while chap. 4 has only 17 verses.

[4:5]  ² tn The Hiphil stem of כָּעַס (ka’as) may mean: (1) “to provoke to anger”; (2) “to bitterly offend”; or (3) “to grieve” (BDB 495 s.v. Hiph.; HALOT 491 s.v. כעס hif). The Hebrew lexicons suggest that “bitterly offend” is the most appropriate nuance here.

[4:5]  ³ tn Heb “before the builders.” The preposition נֶגֶד (neged, “before”) here connotes “in the sight of” or “in the view of” (BDB 617 s.v. 1.a; HALOT 666 s.v. 1.a).

[4:17]  ⁴ tn The first words of v. 17, “who were rebuilding the wall,” should be taken with the latter part of v. 16.

[4:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “were carrying loads.” The LXX reads ἐν ὅπλοις (en hoplois, “with weapons”).

[7:70]  ⁶ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

[7:70]  ⁷ tn Heb “darics” (also in vv. 71, 72).

[9:38]  ⁸ sn Beginning with 9:38, the verse numbers through 10:39 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 9:38 ET = 10:1 HT, 10:1 ET = 10:2 HT, 10:2 ET = 10:3 HT, etc., through 10:39 ET = 10:40 HT. Beginning with 11:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.

[9:38]  ⁹ tn Heb “we are cutting.”

[9:38]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and writing.”

[9:38]  ¹¹ tn Heb “our leaders, our Levites, and our priests on the sealed document.” The Hebrew text is elliptical here; the words “have affixed their names” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons. Cf. v. 2.